It’s raining heavily in Perpignan. The International resonates in the alleys of the city, sung by a few CGT activists. But that’s not really the theme of the day. A few hundred meters further, at the Palais des Congrès, the National Rally is organizing its traditional May 1 gathering. No tribute to Joan of Arc this year, but the opportunity for Jordan Bardella, the head of the far-right party’s list for the European elections, to present his list. A mix of rallies, renewals and executives rewarded for their good behavior.
On site, young people and old hands gauge each other. It’s time for pleasantries for the Frontist elite. We rush to the party leader’s young guard, rewarded with eligible places. “Congratulations!”, slip a few deputies to Pierre-Romain Thionnet, president of the RNJ and close to Jordan Bardellaplaced in 23rd position on the list, who flashes a smile for the occasion.
Some, internally, were rather against this promotion. Those close to Marine Le Pen, in particular, find the profile of the young man too identity-based and not very de-demonization-compatible. Mathilde Androuët, loyal to the party leader, already elected to the European Parliament in 2019, managed to climb to 4th place. This advantageous position does not prevent him from raising his voice on the volunteers who have the bad taste to place chairs in the place where Jordan Bardella plans to do his walkabout. There is also Gaétan Dussaussaye, another representative of the Bardella generation, former president of the youth movement, more or less rewarded with 29th position.
Rallies and renewal
In the VIP area, a few RN deputies are sweating profusely. It is very hot in the room where hundreds of activists crowd together. They had a bit of a party the day before, don’t know the contents of the list and aren’t particularly interested in it. But it’s good to make the trip. “Ah, is she Piera?” asks a parliamentarian, clearly not aware of the new arrivals, as he sees Pascale Piera, magistrate and new frontist recruit, pass by. At his side, the former director of Frontex Fabrice Legieri, the former police officer Mathieu Valet, the lawyer for the Manif pour Tous Alexandre Varaut and the essayist from the right Malika Sorel. Good students, they crowd into the front row under the gaze of party executives who already have years of Front under their belt. “It’s not going to be a gift to the European Parliament,” an elected official complains in advance about Malika Sorel, already known internally for being “unmanageable.”
The returnees take on the air of veterans. The president of the delegation Jean-Paul Garraud, number 5, squeezes his pliers with a satisfied air; the brother-in-law and advisor of Marine Le Pen, Philippe Olivier, number 11, nods his head among the elected officials; Virginie Joron, number 16, a survivor despite her embarrassing anti-vax positions, slips into a corner of the square. There is also Thierry Mariani, in 9th position, too important to be ousted despite his pro-Russian positioning which is a bit of a stain in the new frontist showcase. Young activists roam the room to perfect their network, and take a greedy look at this new pool of promising assistant positions. The times of scarcity, when the party did not allow one to make a career, seem to be over.
Executive Awards
Here and there, elected officials puff out their chests and boast of having placed their loved ones in an eligible position, a supposed demonstration of their internal influence. Julie Rechagneux, regional councilor for Nouvelle-Aquitaine, has won her entry ticket to Brussels. Like Paca advisor Eléonore Bez. Sébastien Chenu is pleased to see the North well represented with Mélanie Disdier, in 6th position, Louis Aliot has co-opted Julien Leonardelli, number 27. It is also an opportunity to reward executives for their work, like the mayor of Beaucaire Julien Sanchez, in number 17, or the general director of the party Gilles Pennelle, number 15. From his platform, Jordan Bardella presents his new team, whose faces appear in turn on the giant screen, like a football team selection . If the RN collects the 30% of votes that the polls promise it, it should bring around thirty elected officials to the European Parliament during the June 9 election.
Further on, the rejected people don’t really seem happy. Jean-Lin Lacapelle, although close to Jordan Bardella, did not have his place on the list. He flutters a little in the room alongside André Rougé, drafted at the last minute. The list, which aims to “reflect what the party has become”, does not respect Jordan Bardella’s initial promise: a third of RN elected officials, a third of civil society and a third, but the promises only engage those who believe in it, and then who really remembers it?
Warning against “dispersal” of votes
The challenge today is rather to call for mobilization. “J-39 to win” displays on the big screen. On stage, Marine Le Pen calls for “only one vote, that of Bardella”. The latter warns of the dangers of abstention and the “dispersal” of his voters who would be tempted by other “patriot lists”. He also bets that the Reconquest list will not exceed 5%, and offers a kiss of death to his opponent by appropriating “French suicide”, Eric Zemmour’s formula. Between two calls for a vote, Jordan Bardella finds the time to boo Complément d’investigation, the France 2 show, the “far-left pro-migrant associations”, Emmanuel Macron and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and to make himself applaud as he takes off his suit jacket.
The opportunity, also, to put the church back in the middle of the Frontist village. “We are the only ones to have put this question of French identity and culture into the public debate. June 9 will be a vote of civilization, it will be a question of saying what we are, and what we want to remain “, asserts Jordan Bardella, assuring that these European elections will be a “great referendum on immigration”. “There is a link between terrorists and immigration, between immigration and insecurity”, maintains the head of the list, castigating “window immigration” and recalling the party’s desire to restrict social assistance to only French families. A minimum service which does no harm and reminds external activists that in Perpignan, not many people sing the International.